IIoT in the process industry

Endress+Hauser accompanies customers on the path to digitalization

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has huge potential: predictive maintenance, asset information management and device configuration are just some examples of the opportunities digitalization has in store for companies. Endress+Hauser is driving IIoT forward through innovative products and solutions as well as by working with partners. This dedication has been proven twice – winning the Digital Champion Award and presenting a new digital platform at the German Digital Summit.

The advantages of digitalization in the process industry can already be seen clearly. Increased networking opens up new opportunities in process optimization and increases plant efficiency. Endress+Hauser is therefore constantly increasing its offer of products, solutions and services in order to increase customers’ productivity and system availability while expanding competitiveness.

Digital Champion 2017

With Memosens, Endress+Hauser introduced a pioneering sensor technology for liquid analysis in various industries such as chemical, power & energy, food & beverage and water & wastewater over 10 years ago. Memosens sensors measure the pH-value in liquids, for example, and transform it into a digital signal while still in the sensor. The data is then passed on via a contactless system and provides extremely accurate, reproducible and reliable measurement results.

Furthermore, the technology combines high process and data security with simple handling: it can withstand corrosion and moisture, can be calibrated in the laboratory and enables predictive maintenance.

Memosens was presented with the Digital Champion Award in the category Digital Products and Services in June 2017. The award is a joint initiative of the German telecommunications provider Telekom and the business magazine WirtschaftsWoche, which was set up in 2016 with the aim of awarding prizes to significant projects by medium-sized companies.

Endress+Hauser at the Digital Summit

Endress+Hauser also demonstrates its commitment through its work with partners: the company created a platform through which data can be exchanged together with BASF, SAP, Pepperl+Fuchs and SAMSON. This was presented for the first time at the Digital Summit of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Technology. The event took place in June 2017 in the metropolitan Rhine-Neckar region and saw over 1000 participants, including the German Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel.

The platform enables new forms of data-based cooperation. The effectiveness and efficiency in chemical production can be increased significantly, allowing new business models to be created. The ability to gather data on the condition of devices and components and exchanging this data with all those involved with the process helps determine maintenance requirements, plan maintenance work more efficiently and reduce plant shutdowns.

Subsidiary for IIoT activities

Endress+Hauser has combined its activities for IIoT in a subsidiary in Freiburg, Germany, in order to meet the high pressures of digitalization. Here, specialists work exclusively on products, solutions and services for digitalized plants. These include customized cloud solutions, for example, which utilize specific data from production processes and increase efficiency, as well as services for the plant’s entire life cycle.